Mercedes Benz E Class Tuning

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We review and look at E Class tuning and highlight the greatest mods that work. Mercedes Benz E Class's make awesome project cars and with carefully chosen sports modifications you can greatly maximise your driving experience.

The E Class is a good car tuning project to play with. We see people often wasting money on their E Class doing the wrong mods and then having to start over. Follow our articles to avoid making the common mistakes.

Here is an overview of the E class over the years, please note that not all engine were available in all regions and please let us know if we've missed any engines from this list.

We've included links to our engine specific tuning guides, and hope to be adding more information and tips to these so please check back frequently.

The W124, first generation E class was released in 1994 with a range of petrol and diesel engines. It came in a saloon W125 Coupe C124 and Wagon/Estate S124 versions. The V8 engine models wore a 400E or 500E badge.

Petrol:

• 1.8–2.3 L M111 engine I4
• 2.8 L M104 engine I6
• 2.4–2.8 L M112 engine V6
• 3.6 L M104  engineI6 AMG
• 4.3 L M113 engine-E43 V8 AMG
• 5.4 L M113 engine-E55 V8 AMG

Diesel:

• 2.0–2.2 L OM604 engine I4
• 2.2 L OM611 engine I4
• 2.5 L OM605 engine I5

Second generation E class, the W210 was sold between 1996 and 2002 and addressed many areas for improvement over the previous version. It achieved car of the year from motor trend in 1996.

Petrol:

• 1.8–2.3 L M111 engine I4
• 1.8 L M271 engine I4 Kompressor
• 2.0–2.3 L M111 engine I4 Kompressor
• 2.6 L–3.2 L M112 engine V6
• 2.5 L–3.5 L M272 engine V6
• 3.2 L Supercharged M112 engine V6 AMG
• 5.4 L M113 engine V8 AMG

Diesel:

• 2.1 L OM611 engine I4
• 2.1 L OM646 engine I4
• 2.7 L OM612 engine I5
• 3.0 L OM642 engine V6
• 3.0 L OM612 engine I5 AMG

The W211 was the third generation which arrived in 2003 and ran until 2009. The CLS was based on this platform. We also saw an E63 AMG version released, showing the potential of this platform in the hands of the right tuner.

Petrol:

• 1.6–1.8 L M271 engine supercharged Kompressor I4
• 1.6–1.8 L M271 engine turbocharged CGI I4
• 2.5–3.5 L M272 engine V6
• 6.2 L M156  engineAMG V8 (C 63 AMG)

Diesel:

• 2.1 L OM646 engine I4
• 2.1 L OM651 engine I4
• 3.0 L OM642 engine V6

In 2009 we met the W212, a new teardrop headlight design and met fuel economy requirements whilst dishing out a fair amount of power. It was a great car to drive and has proved quite popular.

Petrol:

• 1.6–1.8 L M271 engine supercharged Kompressor I4
• 1.6–1.8 L M271 engine turbocharged CGI I4
• 2.5–3.5 L M272 engine V6
• 6.2 L M156  engineAMG V8 (C 63 AMG)

Diesel:

• 2.1 L OM646 engine I4
• 2.1 L OM651 engine I4
• 3.0 L OM642 engine V6

The W213 was released in 2016 where silky smooth inline 6 cylinder engines were offered and many electronic driving enhancements such as self driving system which operates for periods of 120 seconds (this feature was introduced on the E63 and later became available on the non AMG tuned versions).

Petrol- turbocharged:

• 1.6 L M270 engine I4 turbo
• 2.0 L M266 engine I4 turbo
• 2.0 L M264 engine turbo
• 2.0 L M274 engine I4 turbo
• 3.0 L M276  engine DELA 30 Bi-turbo V6
• 4.0 L M177 engine (Mercedes-AMG) V8 bi-turbo

Petrol-Hybrid turbocharged:

• 2.0 L M139 engine I4 Mild-Hybrid Turbo (EQ Boost)
• 2.0 L M274 engine DE20 LA I4 PHEV Turbo

Diesel- turbocharged:

• 2.2 L OM651 engine I4 Turbo Diesel & Bluetec Hybrid
• 1.6 L OM626 engine I4 Turbo Diesel & Bluetec
• 1.6 L OM654 engine I4 Turbo Diesel
• 2.0 L OM654 engine I4 Turbo Diesel

Diesel-Hybrid turbocharged:

• 2.0 L OM654 engine I4 Turbo Diesel PHEV

The E Class is a good car tuning project to play with. The key to E Class tuning is finding the right mods - a lot of money can be wasted if you do it wrong.

Top end power should be your overall aim on the E Class with a nice fat peak torque band.

Smaller engines do not provide much of a return in terms of power so start with a bigger engine. Engine swaps are a good option if you have a small engine size.

E Class Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

Breathing mods are usually next up. Please note that WE DO NOT generally RECOMMEND INDUCTION KITS on NA (naturally aspirated) engines, unless you have tuned your car extensively and are finding that the standard air intake has become a restriction. Mercedes air boxes flow really well. We note that AMG and Brabus do not use induction kits as part of their tuning packages.

Derestricting the airflow into the engine is the primary part of car tuners so get a freer flowing air filter if you find that the car is running rich.

Induction kits can sound great but due to the warm air in the engine bay they will not really increase power and often rob you of power on most cars.

Sports exhausts generally help improve air flow out of the engine but do not go too large or you might just stuff your flow rate and make things worse. So generally speaking, keep to a size of 1.5 to 2.5 inches for best results.

Head work including a gas flow (ported and polished) and 3 or 5 angle valve job will really help to release the potential of the engine. Your clutch can fail if it starts to weaken and the standard clutches are only ever good for power gains of up to 46%. Fit an upgraded clutch to avoid power losses through the transmission. Remaps offer phenomenal power gains on all turbo charged cars. On NA (naturally aspirated) engines the benefits are doubtful. However a flashed ecu on a NA (naturally aspirated) engine will help unleash the potential if you have done a lot of mods.

We've also seen some tuners playing with twincharged applications and making some very high power figures.

Adding forced induction will see significant power gains but this is usually too expensive to be cost effective. It is generally simpler to add a supercharger than it is to get a turbo working. Turbos give boost in exponential proportion to rising engine speed and this can make mapping difficult.

Superchargers however will give a boost which is directly proportional to engine speed so is easier to map. To cope with forced induction you will usually need to decrease the engines compression ratio .

Alloy wheel upgrades.

Due to the fact that alloys are less heavy they improve performance and they can help to cool the brake disks. The drawback to large alloy wheels on your E Class is that you're changing your final drive ratio and this will have a negative effect on acceleration and performance.

Due to this fact we would advise sticking to a maximum wheel size of 18 inches, although we know some of our members have fitted larger wheels with no problems.

Engine tuning mods.

These are the upgrades are usually fitted by our members, decide how far you want to go before you get going.

Getting the best uprated parts for your planned usage of the car is vital. Stage 3 motor sport mods just don't work well on the road and will make the car undrivable.

Please watch our video which covers the 5 principles of tuning your car. Be sure to keep up with our latest YouTube content and subscribe.

Best mods for your E Class

1. Head work - The goals of porting and flowing the head are to get air flowing into the engine while removing flow restrictions and turbulence.
2. Turbo & Supercharger upgrades - A New Turbocharger/supercharger is the most significant way to increase your intakes air supply, this means you are able to burn more fuel and make power gains. Typically one of the most technically difficult modifications it does provide the largest gains.
3. Fast road Camshafts are one of the most significant mechanical changes, but should always be fitted by someone competent and it can sometimes be hard to find one but there might be a local firm to regrind a stock camshaft for you.
4. E Class Suspension Upgrades - Upgrading your suspension dramatically improves E Class handling Poly Bushes and Coilovers are typically fitted to achieve this
5. Brake Upgrades - Improve your E Class's stopping power needs to be somewhere in your mods list.
6. Engine Tunes - E Class engine tuning/remapping provides the biggest gains for the money, aftermarket ECUs, and Tuning boxes are all alternatives.
7. Low mass flywheel - a lighter flywheel will noticably improve the engines free revving nature. Not always suitable for all E Class engines.
8. Intake Mods and high flowing exhausts - Please note that on their own these mods will NOT ADD POWER in most cases, but they enable you to enhance power after other upgrades by lessening the restrictive flow.

E Class Tuning Stages

Typical stage 1 mods often include: Sports exhaust, Engine Tunes/Remapping, Panel air filter, Lighter flywheel, Suspension upgrade (drop 30-40mm), Alloy wheels.

Typical stage 2 mods often include: fuel pump upgrades, Ported and polished head, high flow fuel injector, Power/Sport clutch, Fast road cam.

Typical stage 3 mods often include: Sports gearbox, Adding or upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves), Engine balancing, Competition cam.

Peak power is nice in motorsport but for a daily driven car you need a wide power band and perhaps extending the rev range.

Mercedes used a Supercharger on many engines throughout their range, and with a simple overdrive pulley you can boost the power output significantly. Add in twincharging, or a larger compressor and you can see some really impressive power gains.

The whole point of our tips is to give a brief overview of car tuning mods and point you in the right direction, our forum is where you can ask for more detailed advice and tips on your modified car project, the best uprated modifications and all aspects of modding cars.A fast road cam will be one of the best NASP power modifications you can do with a single part fitted to your engine.

The intake and exhaust flow play a large part in your cars power band, but be careful here, getting this wrong can upset the idle and make the car impossible to drive in traffic. You'd need to follow a camshaft upgrade with other mods and finish with a performance chip to fully realise your gains.You will need to ensure that the engine is not starved of fuel so will need to ramp up the fuelling.

Using high octane petrol is another option if you find you are suffering from pinking or premature ignition on your Mercedes Benz project after fitting other performance upgrades. Uprating the injectors is another beneficial modification and will deliver sufficient fuel. If have increased your fuelling with bigger injectors you will also need to get a bigger fuel pump to supply it.

E Class Handling/Suspension upgrades

Improving the handling for most drivers, is rated as a top priority mod in your E Class tuning project.

We suggest that you fit uprated suspension and lower the car by 28 - 36 Larger drops require arch work - especially on models already equipped with performance suspension.

Adjusting the handling is often the first step in using the E Class.Adjusting the E Class's handling is often the first step in modding it.

When it comes to modding your E Class, one of the most often cited reasons is to enhance its handling. However, we repeatedly encounter the same mistakes.

Coilovers enable you to lower or raise the car and this allows you to fine tune your cornering performance.

One of the most popular reasons for uprating your E Class suspension is to improve its cornering. However, we see the same errors often repeated again and over.

Upgrading your Bushes

What factors should you consider when setting up and selecting your suspension bushings if your E Class is also used as a daily driver?

The suspension components of the E Class may be mounted to the car's chassis through bushes, which are rotatable rubber mounts. These rubber ones will deteriorate over time.

By replacing new OEM rubber bushings, you may greatly improve your vehicle's performance.

Because polyurethane bushings are stiffer, the ride may be less forgiving, but the bushings will last longer and maintain the car's handling over a longer time.

Worn bushings may also quicken the demise of other suspension components due to the increased vibration and play.

With a new set of polyeyurothane bushes, the excessive play associated with rubber bushings may be reducde.

You may struggle to find a full set of polyeyurothane bushings, but most regions have the primary mounts available. Often, custom E Class poly bushes may be manufactured to your requirements.

How low should you go on the E Class?

TorqueCars research and testing indicate that the maximum suspension drop for most road vehicles is 28 - 36 millimetres, whereas the maximum suspension drop for versions that come with lowered suspension already is 20 millimetres.

These tolerances may be drastically lowered if the wheel size is changed. Even with 17" wheels and stock suspension, lowering the vehicle might result in a slew of issues.

Because the E Class is lower, less air travels under it, which may aid in stability; nonetheless, the main goal should always be to enhance handling. It is critical to use the proper shocks when employing lower springs buying matched components as a kit.

Fully adjustable suspension allows you to fine tune the handling of you E Class dramatically benefitting your drive.

E Class Brake Mods

For dramatically enhanced stopping you should get better high performance brake pads and match this with meatier brake discs.

We should point out that motorsport brake pads will be noisy and will need to be really hot before they bite.

In every day driving the brakes are occasionally used, therefore will not be effective so specify friction pads which don't need to be really hot.

E Class Alloy wheel upgrades.

Alloy wheels can help the brake cooling and are usually lighter than steel ones. Don't forget that your choice of rubber greatly affects your cars grip and handling. It is not worth compromising performance with cheap tyres when you can buy directional tread pattern performance tires.

Please note that although they can look cool on the E Class large alloy wheels will actually decrease your performance. The larger you go the lower your acceleration will be - this to the change in your effective final drive ratio.

Due to this fact try to keep the overall rolling diameter of the wheel the recommended OEM sizes. In all cases without going above 18 inches.

If you would like to know more, or just get some friendly advice on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss E Class options in more detail with our E Class owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Mercedes Benz tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

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